Has your seat leather been replaced?

[Steamroller]

From what I have read/heard, numerous people have had their seat leather wear/crack somewhat rapidly. This occurrence seams atypical (compared to other cars on the road), especially considering that Viper owners typically take very good care of their Viper(s).

I have a few questions for those of you with damaged leather:

1. Has anyone had their leather replaced under warranty?
2. Did the dealership(s) resist fixing the leather under warranty?
3. To what extent was the leather damaged?
4. Did the dealership go to the trouble of replacing particular panels, or did they simply replace the entire seat "skins"?

Thanks in advance for your help.

 

[v10kingsnake]

dealerships are sooooo cheap its not funny. i had my 97 in the shop last year with this same issue. the driver seat was very worn and the car had 5000 miles on it. they gave me soooo much grief about saying the wear is not covered under warrently cause it is normal wear and tear. i had to make a hundred phone calls to get this covered. i mean really how you gonna tell someone that a seat wore out with normay wear and tear on a car with 5k miles on it. NEVER but the cheap ******** only replaced the seat bottom not the back portion so the leathers dont match up 100%. good luck

 

[99 R/T 10]

It would be easy(less hassle) to just get Chad at Snakehydes ([email protected]) to redo them for you and customize them at the same time. I just had my door panels, knee bolster and center console done, and it looks awesome! When I get pictures, I'll post them up.

 

[v10kingsnake]

what did something like this cost

 

[flying dutchman]

had mine done by Venzano, very beautiful, usd 3575


<----see my gallery

 

[99 R/T 10]

what did something like this cost

Mine was about $2000 LESS than the one quote above

 

[flying dutchman]

and you still paid tomuch for it....


nobless oblige

 

[XS TORQ]

My stock leather was in pretty poor shape after 30k miles.

Venzano does beautiful work, but it is not inexpensive!

I am very happy with my SnakeHydes interior. Relatively inexpensive, and VERY nice leather.

 

[jimandela]

my seatback was replaced at about 5000 miles by the dealer no problem at all..
just needed to ask

 

[kgrif]

I have the usual crack on the drivers side right where you grip it to get out. Went to the dealer (2000GTS 7000 miles) and he said they would not replace it. Normal wear for the car. NORMAL WEAR?????? Let me see $75000 car and the cheap seat wears out at 7000 miles!!!

 

[Steamroller]

It definitely sounds like a dealer's willingness to replace the leather varies from dealer to dealer.

I am sure I will catch a lot of grief for this question, but... has anyone every replaced the leather with cloth? I know leather looks/smells better and is factory, but cloth seems more practical... it breathes better, maintains its appearance longer, is cheaper, and is not hot/cold with the seasons. Of course, "practical" often contradicts the Viper. Which material is more luxurious? Definitely leather. Which material is more functional? I think cloth is. Will I replace my leather with cloth? Probably not.

 

[99 R/T 10]

and you still paid tomuch for it....


nobless oblige

You're

But hey, if you got money to throw away

 

[99 R/T 10]

My stock leather was in pretty poor shape after 30k miles.

Venzano does beautiful work, but it is not inexpensive!

I am very happy with my SnakeHydes interior. Relatively inexpensive, and VERY nice leather.

I would have to say, at least in my case, it is the best there is

 

[GCHDEALER]

Thanks Mike and Mark for the comments on my products. Granted Venzano does incredible work, but the costs are high. I started my company to keep the costs more reasonable. Even though I have had pay more for some leather colors I have kept my pricing the same. Until now I have never gone up. The only color so far that I am having a price increase on is Red. I do not have a website I do not push my products on anyone just keep the business alive with word of mouth. The business has been real good to me and so have my customers. The small amount of exposure that I get from these web boards keep the business going. I have been asked time and time again can you do some of the things that I see in Venzano's work. To answer the question yes I can. I can build logos as they do and do custom stitching also. I can also cover other panels like the rear bulkhead that comes down between the seats. It is all in a matter of what kind of money you want to invest. I try to stay out of his market as it is the professional thing to do (he was the first to do this) but if someone wants me to do their work for them I will not turn it down. Here is a few shots of my latest job.

 

[Hisserman]

Great looking stuff, Chad!

 

[safireviper]

I had my driver side on my '02 ACR replaced at 30,000 with no problem.

 

[Detlef]

Lucky you. No go with my dealer. Had the local "Leather doctor" fix up the crack in the seam. I was surprised when he didn't charge me because he's pretty sure it'll crack again in a few years. SnakeHydes will be on my list if I still have the snake at that time.

 

[EA6BPilot]

My GTS has almost 54,000 miles on it and the seats still look pretty good. Granted, I am not the first owner, so the seats may not be original. Having said that, I agree with a lot of people in the sense that I would love to have SnakeHydes do a set for me.

Chad - Could you please PM me what the cost of your latest job (in the pics above) would be? Thanks!

Frank

 

[SneakyPete]

My drivers seat is worn where the seat belt rubs on side. I wanted venzanno's until I seen GCHDEALER (chad) seats. They are by far the best bang for the buck. Same quality, I think its nicer/softer leather and without that to the moon pricing.

 

[Steamroller]

For those of you that got the dealer to replace the leather, did they replace both the seat bottom and seat back?

Also, what are typical prices for the aftermarket leather upgrades (i.e., GCHDEALER, SnakeHydes, etc.)?

 

[Qualitywires.com]

Sweet Chad!! Can't wait to get mine done! AMD okay.

 

[GCHDEALER]

For those of you that got the dealer to replace the leather, did they replace both the seat bottom and seat back?

Also, what are typical prices for the aftermarket leather upgrades (i.e., GCHDEALER, SnakeHydes, etc.)?

My Standard Pricing ranges from $1999.00-$2999.00 dependant on colors logos and how many panels. Any other panels other than seats knee bolsters center console and door panels are priced on a per piece basis and that depends on how much other work we are doing on the interior. The most extensive that I have done to date is taking a factory Gen I tan interior and turning it into this carpet and all. Notice the bottoms of the door panels used to be tan along with the carpet not pictured. I even installed a heel pad on the drivers side carpet just like factory.

I can do center pieces that come down between the seats as well. Never mind the different colored console it was just there for reference.

SRT JOBS run a touch higher because they use up A-LOT of leather.

Chad

 

[29OUTLAW]

I've seen new Vipers sitting in dealer showrooms with worn out seats. I imagine much of it's cause every wannabee that walks thru the showroom has sit his big a$$ in the Viper. Someone ends up buying a new Viper that's already been sat in 10,000 times.

 

[GR8_ASP]

One of these days I need to post an ad for Gen I RT/10 seats. I had them removed back in 1996 when I installed Venzano. They were in new condition when I put them away.

 

[pdmracing]

My dealer replaced my 97 drivers leather under warrenty